


The Throes of Magic (Reader x Madjick)

by strawberryenigma



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Accidental Stimulation, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Historical, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Awkward Conversations, College Student, Confessions, Confusion, Covert Operation, Depression, Discrimination, Drama, Ecto-Tentacles (Undertale), Ecto-Tongue (Undertale), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/M, Female Reader, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Government Conspiracy, Hidden truths, Hypnosis, Kidnapping, Lies to Keep Ties, Light Angst, Loss of Trust, Magic, Mercenaries, Mind Games, Missing Persons, Moral Ambiguity, Moral Relativism, OBE (out of body experience), Other, Paranoia, Psychological Drama, Racism, Reader Insert, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader-Insert, Research Cover up, Rocky start, Secret Organizations, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Social Anxiety, Some Plot, Suspicions, Teacher-Student Relationship, Teasing, True Feelings Reveal, Trust Issues, Undercover Missions, sinning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-03-25
Packaged: 2018-09-25 17:32:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9834824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberryenigma/pseuds/strawberryenigma
Summary: Two hundred years have passed after monsters reached the surface. Humans and monsters are living in tandem for the most part, and it turns out that most humans have magic embedded in their souls. A human's magical essence is only activated near a monster, so researchers claim. However, some humans do not need a monster's influence to use their magic, and the reader happens to discover this revelation herself. How does the reader discover it? Were are the other humans with this ability? What will she do with her "gift?"





	1. The Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This paring had to be done because.... it wasn't done. And I'm gonna be the first!  
> So, here you go, uh, Madjick-lovers. Plus, we know Undertale background characters such as Madjick here don't get a lot of attention in fanfictions. There isn't really any of this paring at all, to be honest. Probably because it's odd, but that's what makes it interesting and challenging!!!! You literally have a character that has little to work with- which is ideal because they're almost a blank-slate. You'll have more room. When you see thousands of Reader x (Major Character) fics out there, it starts to wear down a little. And you would want something... different and new. So, uh.... here you go?

Evening is falling, and you get up to switch on the light. Looking outside, you see that it has started to snow. Everything is covered by glittering snow, falling down silently out of a heavy sky. People and monsters were moving soundlessly past your window. You hear a tall, tree-like monster stamping the snow from their feet. You rub your hands and look forward to the evening. A few days ago, your mentor called you in for an evening lesson at his house instead of morning sessions. You’d have to thank him for that. You guess you and your mentor both can’t handle the mornings.

You get dressed and prepare to trudge through the snow, heading toward the end of the neighborhood.

A small house stood on the edge of the suburbs. It was a tiny cottage-like edifice dwarfed by its comparatively huge counterparts that cast it into shadow. Just by looking at it, it seemed like an obvious display of some kind of social-economic disparity. It was a middle-classed monster’s house situated quite snugly in a rich man’s neighborhood.

You knocked twice on the house’s brightly colored red door, and behind it, there was slight shuffling and the door eventually opened, revealing a pair of bright eyes peering up at you along with an infectious grin beaming under a dark hat.

_Oh, right. Your mentor is a monster from the underground._

“Back again so soon, ‘re ya,” his grin growing slightly wider as he closed the door behind us. “folks might as well believe we’re more than friends” he teased.

“Oh, shut it,” you mock-chided with an amused grin reaching your face. “it’s not my fault you assigned this hour for a lesson.”

“Well, they’ll have to get used to our nightly antics nonetheless,” he further joked while floating effortlessly toward a pile of papers. He then cast dozens of hands that instantly busied themselves, either grabbing books from the shelves or scribbling his findings down on some papers with blinding dexterity.

You walked toward the spacious living room and sat on a wooden chair by a low table amassed by dozens of books on top of it. A single hand descended down and lit a candle that was suspended in the air beside you. The candle had illuminated the entire room, revealing more book shelves.

“Care for some tea?” he called out in the midst of his work. Despite using his magic extensively, his voice remained relaxed as if his magic never once tired out. It seemed limitless.

Your face was already in a book of healing spells. You sniffled. You had probably been sniffling all along and never realize it. “Sure thing. I can barely feel my hands from all that cold outside.”

Another pair of hands went to the corner of the room where a boiling kettle sat idle. He took some water and some leaves he had stored in a cupboard. Then he prepared two cups of tea, hands working diligently with fluidity. Mesmerized, you snuck at peek from the book and watched as he prepared the tea, observing his technique as he mixed ingredients and stirred them in wooden cups. Noticing you watch him go as if it was still the very first time, he smiled warmly under his hat.

~~~~~~~~~~~

About two centuries ago, a child fell down Mount. Ebott. Well, it turned out that encapsulated inside this massive land form was an entire civilization trapped within it, containing lively people and a plethora of rich cultures. Between the fervent handles of war, three powerful mages cast a barrier spell, pushing all monsterkind down into this mountain. To humans today, this knowledge of meaning was eroded with time, as word of this revelation dwindled down to nothing but an obscured mythology. And with this, you could imagine the clamor it caused when the monsters returned to the surface- along with a monster king and queen holding hands with a human child ambassador.

During those years, humans had difficulties accepting the induction of monsters. Since monsters reached the surface, we had discovered that their magic had some influence on the humans around them. There hasn’t really been much research on it, but it turns out with a monster’s presence, a human’s magic can be activated. Some have this reaction and some don’t- we don’t know why. There is still much mystery to this. And this mystery left open many facets of imagination.

A common anxiety roused in human societies across the globe like a formidable inferno. Its fire was seeping into every reason of institutional and international reform- or in this case- regression. _The Great Rumination_ \- some historians refer to it as. Many sought to question the monster’s capacity for full citizenship, since there wasn’t constitutional input, the United Nations now instantly invalidated by the existence of monsterkind. With this citizenship in question, many actions of law enforcement were put into question as well. These sorts of related problems continued and it took arduous revisioning of constitutions, determined protesters, reforms, and movements to ensure monsters’ rights. A century later, things have simmered down a considerable bit, but there is still noticeable resistance, especially with monster-human relationships. There are a few open inter-species relationships in our small town, neighboring many other small towns that rim the inner city of Lakeshire. Humans and monsters looking for a relationship usually resort online because it’s practically safer than just meeting in an inner city restaurant where tensions on that type of stuff are usually high.

The conventions of human society showed an innate adversity toward monsters, but despite this, many were determined and fighting to keep a this restored and precious bond. You're inclined to include your mentor’s actions on this, however not too sure. When you did apply, you were, well, very surprised to find out that your mentor had decided to pick a human applicant over thousands of monsters who had phenomenal magical ability and skill. But, compared to them, you were just a clumsy human just tapping into her own innate magic, much like an infant learning to walk, holding themselves up by the handles of a chair. You were indeed his first human student, so you could see why he’d be remotely interested: to witness a human develop their magic. You still feel like there’s more to his reasoning, but you can’t get a good read on him.

_Since when can you ever get a good read on him._

Describing this man as an enigma would be a true understatement. Upon first meeting him, he’d probably put an entire traditional Christian family under cardiac arrest by his appearance alone. If it wasn’t for the pointed witch hat- the brim of it obscuring his eyes often, a almost vanta-black cloak draped over a pair of sharp, black and wickedly pointy leather boots, it would be his uncanny ability to closely figure out what you’re thinking.

_Never exactly._

Over the years studying with him, you figured he wasn’t telepathic or anything- it just seems as though he could bring up a conversation closely related to what you were thinking earlier on at some point. It’s like the kind of weird connection that happens between two good friends or lovers who’ve known each other for years.

Except instead of years of figuring each other out by trial and error, he could make this happen within a few hours.

It sounds like a coincidence, and he could very well have solid intuition. But it puts people off when he does nonetheless.

For those who don’t really trust Madjicks, they mostly reason from their appearance down to their peculiar and eccentric nature. Some welcome it and some don’t. It’s a hit or miss like with anyone’s eccentric personality, really. It wasn’t that Madjick had done anything to earn distrust, but his powers were undeniably frightening and intimidating for some humans and monsters, regardless of how charismatic he was or how benevolent he was with his magic.

“Your palms have to be a little higher than that if you want to push all that energy outwards.”

It was getting dark out, the snow around us glistening, appearing like a large silver sheet under the moonlit sky. We had moved the lesson outdoors at a secluded field rimmed by a thick wall of trees that divided city life and the natural wilderness. Most of the snow had dissolved in the city, but here lie still two feet of snow as far as the eye can see.

Well, there _would_ be if there wasn’t a five foot radius of melted snow and the stench of simmering, boiling grass.

Every part of your body was trembling, your arms and legs almost giving up from exertion. Steam piped up from the surrounding snow, the vapors wafting up into the sky and some coming back down, forming droplets of condensation on our skin. Hot energy swelled up from the core of your body. There was a heavy sensation, bellying from within. There wasn’t pain- just an uncomfortable sensation of a trapped, foreign substance. Trying to snap back into a focus, you had adjusted quickly to Madjick’s criticism. The goal was to conjure a thick wall of obsidian, but you had to exude this energy fast or there will be extreme pain and eventually certain death. How pleasant does lava and bits of igneous rock sloshing out of every orifice sound?

You tried replicating the correct gestures you read last night. Nothing happened. You tried again. Still, nothing changed.

Again.

And again.

 _Oh no._ You were definitely sure you had them down. Your teeth clenched in frustration, heart beating faster from heightened anxiety. The pressure was building up too much- too fast. Almost like a thick viscosity traveling upwards. Now, there was a burning sensation travelling to your eyes, mouth, and eventually your entire head. Small, sharp edges of obsidian began to form on a burning patch of grass before you- as well as your hand. Your eyes squeezed shut, tears forming from the sting. Christ! Needles pushing out, etching from within your skin. There was progress, but there was far too little result in comparison to the amount of magic that pressured inside.

“N-no no no no!”

You were panicking. There was no way. This was all too much, the blazing sensation encased your entire body now- pain excruciating. How could you had lose control so fast? Shaking violently, you looked to Madjick, but he was gone from his usual spot. In disbelief, you whipped your head around in a blind panic. Still nowhere to be found. Shit. You clenched my teeth- heart dropping.

_He left me here?_

_I was going to die alon-_

Everything stopped. The burning. The pain. The immense pressure building from your core had dissipated into nothingness, replaced with a warm, soft buzz. The nightmarish image before you had become dulled and unfocused like a dream. Any source of stimuli had seemed a proxied experience. There was a disassociation of consciousness as if you weren't controlling your own movements anymore. You actually... weren't. Your hands, still trembling, twitched making several intricate gestures. A complete different set- unlike the ones tried before. The uncontrolled magic that once was within you flushed out effortlessly into the ground. A tall jagged wall of obsidian vehemently pushed out from within the soil like nothing, launching bits of snow everywhere. The image then faded to black like reality was casually erased from an etch-a-sketch board. Moments later, a slight vibration rippled throughout your consciousness as if feeling sound travelling through water. The slight sensation of pressure was on your hands as if someone was cupping an invisible firm but gentle hold around them.

_‘ey there, lass._

_Relax, now. It’s all over and done with…_ He gave a slight squeeze for emphasis. _Everything okay? You ‘bout exploded on me there._

_Y-yeah. I guess so…_

_Care to explain what happened?_

_I- I really don’t- I don’t know what happened! I read over everything a dozen times this week. I was so sure… and then, this happened._

Madjick paused for a moment.

_That book- you have it on you?_

_No, why?_

_Hmmmm, I need to see something- mind if I take a look?_

_Take a look in… what?_

_Your memories, lass. This was very unlikely of you._

_Well, gee, thanks, M._

_You know that’s not what I meant. This is serious_.

_Sure, but I’m not sure if you’ll really get anything out of there… but, if it helps._

There was a slight tingle up your spine, moving up toward the back of your head, like someone was quickly browsing through the leaves of a book. The flipping impression paused for a moment, as if examining something. A warm pulse swept through, lingering. It was dulled, but the lingering stir felt familiar.

…

**...**

Feeling oddly sheepish, the realization of him literally reading your past experiences of the week finally settled its full weight.

_Find anything….interesting yet?_

Again. Another series of flips later, and he finally halted, the lingering subsiding.

_Ah, the pages, algorithms, instruction- they’re all wrong… been switched aroun’ in this particular conjuring spell. Very discreet- hardly noticeable of ya’ haven’t attempted it yet, of course._

_You mean to tell me I’ve been learning the entire thing wrong and someone wanted to…_

_It appears so…. You’re fine now- we just have to have a more keen eye on these texts… All of my books should’ve been protected from any modifications…_

He paused for a moment, clearly in a thought, and sighed.

_I had few malignant students in the past, but I can’t think of anyone who had the motivation- let alone the knowledge to unbind my spell._

Hearing the snap of his fingers, his voice became suddenly more crisp, as if you rapidly flew from a hypnopompic state back to full waking consciousness.

You woke up already feeling the ache in your muscles. We were already back in the living room, your legs crossed comfortably in the wooden chair. It felt as though time had lapsed, and we never seemed to have left the house. It was difficult to believe we were moving all that time. You examined your hand previously invaded by shards of obsidian. Every single shard was gone, leaving no trace of lacerations nor blood. As grateful as you were of Madjick’s healing, your nerves still began to fire at just the memory of that experience. You didn’t realize how much you had been shaking until there was a soft touch on your shoulder, you look up at the wizard’s visage- his eyes under the shadow of his hat and his mouth at a small frown.

“Sorry for waking you up a little rough there,” he said calmly, his voice breaking the silence. He slowly sat down in an non-existent chair beside mine.

_He saved my life and here he is apologizing. Why?_

“and our… little escapade,” he added.

You sighed, looking at the pitch black outside the window, fear and thoughts still buzzing through your head.

He gently squeezed your shoulder for reassurance. “You’re alright now… you’re here safe with me.”

You couldn’t help but smile at his warmness.

“ _Come on_ , don’t go thinking this girl can’t take care of herself!” You half-boasted, hoping he didn’t sense a little of your own incredulity.

He smiled back. It didn’t seem incredulous. He always seemed to have faith in you. Like the seemingly unlimited source of his magic, you wondered how he maintained so much patience.

You could hardly keep your eyes open. The sheer exhaustion from today was finally pulling you down under into a well deserved rest on one of Madjick’s overstuffed couches. The aches thankfully subsided and allowed for a steady drowsiness to set in. Madjick was far ahead of you, quietly snoring on a pile of books in his room- completely missing his mattress. Although peaceful, it was slightly comical to see the magician like this, his cloak twisted up messily over his hat making a small version of a tent just for his head. Admittedly, it wasn’t an image you would want to disturb. You figured out every once in awhile he softly chuckles in his sleep as if being lightly tickled by an invisible feather. Gods know what he’s dreaming.

Accidentally sleeping on his couch occurred many times before, and it quickly became the norm. The first time it happened, you woke up flabbergasted by your own bad manners, but he shrugged it off and offered you stay if circumstances called for it. Spending the night at a mentor’s house sounds odd for some. But, somehow, we made it natural and unbounded. The strict dichotomy of teacher and student became more fluid and enlaced with more meaning. There wasn’t just simply lessons and tons of studying to be had, but deep exchanges of ancient knowledge, culture, history, experiences, and the likes from person to person. Forced over-politeness and rigid formalities coalesced into periodical snarky comments, closeness, and an overall sense of agency.

Sighing, relaxed, sleep gradually took over.


	2. And the Mistaken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: You may have noticed the perspective changed from first person to second person. If you refer back to the first chapter, the perspective has changed as well- for the sake of consistency. I have to laugh at myself for making this obvious error! Anyway, a light warning, chapter two is a slight emotional detour from the first chapter. Some issues are more deep-rooted...

 

 

There was the sound of books shuffling and papers flipping about. Madjick must have gotten up early this morning. Normally, the usually ‘energetic’ wizard doesn’t start cracking his eyes open until the late afternoon. Your eyelids parted slightly, trying to adjust to the uneven light of the room. Looking down, you gently stroked the scarlet colored fabrics of the couch before steadily shifting upright. In the midst of his presumed research, Madjick took one glance in your direction and smirked.

 

“Finally up, huh?”

 

A small groan escaped your lips by his question.

 

He heard the zombie-like response and chuckled lightly. “How you were sleeping- I thought you were going to slumber ‘til the moonrise.” 

 

You shot a glance in his direction. “Wait, what time is it?” you quickly scavenged for your phone. It was sandwiched deep between two thick folds of cushioning. 

 

“Around noon or so. Why is it? Ye’ have anywhere to-” 

 

Madjick’s sentence was interrupted by your head impacting a stray pillow. “A mifd oum op mufh cosfh..” 

 

“Want to… say that a little less muffled?”

 

You lifted your head out of the pillow, “I missed one of my classes already,” sighing, annoyed. 

Putting your shoes on in a haste, you make your way toward the door, grabbing at belongings. “Next class starts in like 30 minutes, so I have to-” 

 

“It's a Sunday.” Madjick said blankly, looking slightly humored at the mass bout of confusion.

 

You abruptly stopped mid-stride, hand inches from the door knob. 

 

_ Where the hell’s my mind at? This was the second time this month, and it's getting old.  _

 

“Seriously…” 

 

“You alright there, lass? That's the second time this month.” 

 

_ If I keep these feelings in, it's only going downhill from here on. _

  
  


“You're hiding something from me, aren't you?” the question slipped through your lips and penetrated the air like a waterfall of needles.

 

There was no turning back now with this said.

 

The shuffling from behind you paused, a few moments passing. Wary of the apparent silence, you turned around to face the wizard, your eyes locking with his.

 

“Why, I-”

 

“Where exactly do I stand,” you pressed on, trying not to let your voice waver.

 

“You expect me to get over what happened yesterday like it was some bad dream-  sit back and not see the real cause?”

 

“You said we were safe and all but…”

 

Madjick gradually took in a deep breath. His boot tapped rhythmically against the wooden floor. Even though his actions were subtle, you've never seen the usually composed magician exhibit these brief nervous ticks, it was rather unnerving to see him under such a small bind. The wizard's eyes turned soft but his lips pursed. A few more moments passed before the silence broke.

 

“You're right,” he said straightly “you've been exposed to a lot...”

 

He sighed, depressing his hand lightly onto the handle of the couch and continued, “the student caused a lot more harm than good. He was a monster but the monster's pariah, you see.”

 

Your eyes widened partly, a realization slowly gathering in your conscious piece by piece. 

 

“Yes… Even though the royal family does not hold sovereignty above the surface as they did underground, they are one of the sources granting this program, keeping it alive. The young lad under my wing started to abuse the types of magical knowledge gifted to him, solely bestowing harm onto others. We had to let him go and they took him away. If he had caused more damage than he'd already done, we would have been casted underground once again or...worse than you can imagine. You see, there couldn't have been another way. The student- I didn't permit him to access that knowledge anymore… What he left was a ticking time bomb out of spite.” 

 

His voice held repose, and one can further say it sounded rehearsed-  as if he explained his exegesis numerous times before. 

 

Your eyes glanced to the floor, emotions fuming, unsure of how to take this all in. He was right in saying you felt exposed, but you also felt boxed off. The aspect that lingered was his ‘no question- no answer’ method to this. He was obviously trying his best to keep this from you. Well, you  _ are  _ a human after all. Some boundaries can't be crossed. Why would he share this information with a human who could easily betray monsterkind? Very practical- reasonable to keep this incident hush-hushed. Even if you  _ did _ try and expose what Madjick told you, there would be no substantial evidence. Coming from you, it would be presented as a conspiracy- just mere speculations and assumptions. He knew that fact very well. Still, this also meant he never fully trusted you. How could you have been so foolish to hope? It made you wonder how many other things you didn't know about because there was no way of asking for it. This whole ‘closeness’ feeling- now it seemed eerily simulated. You were beginning to feel sick.  You needed to be somewhere else but here.

 

“That student’s been...put away for life, you see- been put away from here. He's been gone for years. There's nothing more he could do to anybody.”

 

You winced a little from his statement, wary of the uncanny vagueness. “Well, that’s relieving. Can't he just  _ manage  _ to escape?” you sallied. 

 

“His magic had been entirely debilitated. He wasn't getting out-  was a danger to others and himself” he said, unmoved. 

 

You both hadn't moved from your spots, as if the air would shatter if you did. Your mind was still buzzing from running emotions- running thoughts. Madjick actually didn't lie about anything. He didn't say anything because it wasn't brought up. He had  _ hoped _ you did not bring this up. By him telling you all of this, you could tell he meant no real harm. However, you considered that is because you yourself couldn't harm much, really. Also, this time around, keeping everything blanketed bit you both in the ass. 

 

And, you  _ really _ didn't want to risk being at the end of that again. 

 

“I...have to go home,” you said, barely above a whisper. You looked at the time on your phone. It was a little past noon, and everyone's usually hanging out near the coffee shop downtown, several minutes from your house. 

 

“Ha...friend’s probably wondering where the hell I am by now. Can't keep them waiting, you know.” 

 

You turned toward the door and walked out. An urge to press for further questioning surfaced in your throat, but with your emotions turbulent, you decided it was best left unsaid. Madjick’s eyes were unreadable, his mouth fixed and his face remaining neutral. 

 

He nodded simply, turning to busy himself once again.

 

Sighing, you reached for the door behind you and made toward the shop. The cold air wisped past your face, reminding you of the need for warm beverages.  _ I'd rather think about that for now _ . You hugged your jacket from the inside, trying to adjust to the onslaught of winter breath. 

 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

 

One of your favorite things about this small town is the locals. In comparison to other surrounding towns, this particular area was a considerably less segregated community. In a sense, that was what made this place stand out amongst the neighboring settlements. Our mini- culture here was rather collectivist oriented in a practical sense. Here, the locals had a range of abilities and interests, and many use their talents to support our community in a number of ways. One can truly see their talents manifest during the weekend market, and it typically attracts tourists looking for a little spark in their experience. This market was rather sizeable and had everything from handicrafts, technology, many types of plants and had an array of local food. Across from the usually busied exchange stood the prized coffee shop. The owner was a bear- like monster. He always seemed to cheer up even the most melancholy of customers. The bear had a warm personally suited for his affinity for warm drinks and those alike, even though he could get a little bit  _ too _ passionate in his political discourse.  

 

Finally almost there. The frigidity outside shook your body. You tried to run into the coffee shop, but your body was so tight that it couldn't move easily. Door now ajar, the warm air in the shop treated you like VIP, massaging your legs. Blood started to circulate there again. The wooly ether welcomed its aroma, mixing the scent of chocolate and cakes. The smell is so sweet- it was like bathing in honey. 

 

“Hey there,” the owner waved from behind the counter. “You look like you could...” he trailed off, giving a look of concern. “could uh, use a mocha.” 

 

“More like some cocktails.” Grady, one of your classmate friends, added from one of the tables. She was seated along with other classmates you could recognize.

 

“No thanks; hypothermia doesn’t seem pleasant” you smirked, sitting next to her.

 

She slid her cappuccino in your direction as you got yourself situated.  

 

“Finally wanted to hang out with us now, huh? You’ve been cooped up with that professor-wizard-dude over the weekends-” she playfully nudged your side. “You sure you’re not becoming a recluse like him?” 

 

You rolled your eyes, “You know how dual-enrollment takes up your time. Plus, the sessions are only on Saturday’s and...Wednesday’s,” 

 

A sense of dread dawned, knowing how awkward that study will seem after that incident.

 

“That doesn't mean be a total drag! Here, I got  _ these _ for us.” 

 

Grady handed you a couple of DVD cases with anime characters in various fighting poses. By the depictions of art displayed on each cover, it was obviously some fantasy-action-comedy genre with possibly a little romance. 

 

“Watching these tonight? My house,” you said, beaming. 

 

“Definitely! Knew you would like ‘em. I caught a glance of those when looking for the assigned readings for tomorrow's lecture.” Grady tucked her silky, black hair behind her ear and lowered her chin onto her paw.

 

“You’ve already read them, haven't you?” she teased. 

 

You gave her a knowing look. “We can summarize them tonight, so things won't get too awful by tomorrow.”

 

You took a sip out of her cappuccino, and your eyes widened at the cozy, velvety texture of finely integrated milky foam and espresso with an unexpected  _ jab _ of vodka. 

 

You tried not to choke in sight of the owner. “Wow, jeez, you sure do like your coffee  _ strong _ .” 

 

The rest of the table erupted in quiet sniggering. 

 

Through a window, you all could hear the risings and fallings of sirens passing on the street. Several police cars streaked across your sights with bleating sirens and flashing lights. The quiet emergence of snickers nulled and was replaced by confused mumbles and worried looks. The owner browsed the TV to the nearest local news channel while some customers got out to look in the direction of the noise. Most of everyone’s eyes were glued to the TV screen. 

 

“A raging fire near Howell broke out on the first floor at 243-42 Roosevelt Ave this evening, according to the FDLC. Police suspect an arson and there is undergoing investigation. There were no injuries to the residents, however, a missing monster has also been reported” a female’s voice announced from the screen.   

 

More mumbles could be heard from the surrounding tables. 

 

“Wait, 243-42 Roosevelt Ave?” a human customer spoke up.

 

“That isn’t the family I think it is, is it?” one of the monster students at our table remarked. 

 

“You mean the Amberworths” Everyone in the store turned to you, their gazes just as addled as yours.

 

“That’s right...goodness, I hope Sienna..you know...” The doe-like student trailed off, shifting uncomfortably. Her gaze veered downward, shrouded in thought. Not another word was spoken in that moment. The TV was the only source that sounded the room. Your heart pounded in your chest. Everyone at this table had realized Sienna could not rendezvous at the coffee shop today. She had errands to run and she let us know before, so we didn’t think too much of it before the news. We haven’t gotten a text from her ever since. You looked to Grady; tears were streaming down her face. You hadn’t noticed she was crying until now. She wasn’t the one to display her emotions in a crowd. Your hand gently squeezed her paw placed on the seat. She returned the gesture, but her grip was noticeably stronger. 

 

“I can’t believe this,” Grady hissed, looking at her phone. She had sent several calls and texts to Sienna, all of them unanswered. “Damnit, we have to go over there- we have to! She isn’t answering at all!”

 

She lifted off the seat, already hurrying to the door and opening the entrance. You quickly caught up to her, and you both braced yourselves from the harsh winter assault engulfing your bodies. You wrapped a scarf securely around your neck and face. Your soul ebbed with dread, knowing that going over there was obviously a bad move. You crunched through the hefty folds of snow, some of it sticking to your boots making them even heavier. The weather apparently got worse since you entered the shop. 

 

“Grady, we are all very worried about Sienna and her family but,” you paused, removing your scarf from your face, “we can’t just barge in on the crime scene. The Amberworths might not even be there since it was an arson. Somebody was after them. The house isn’t the place to go. It’s not safe.” you reasoned.

 

You both halted just beneath the subway station’s edifice. It was 6:42; rush hour had started about forty-five minutes ago, and the streets were enshrouded by people. Grady turned toward you, her arms crossed tightly against herself. 

 

“And no one's dumb enough to tell us where they are, yeah, we know,” she said lowly, her voice wavering from her trembling body. 

 

“There's one place we do need to check out. Not to Howell, but to Rosewell. The Amberworths might be sitting in with some family, and I know the place” she said, as you both walked into the train car. 

 

“I just…” she clasped her shaking paws together, trying to compose her great deal of emotions. 

 

“I just want to see them right now. We all know they're going through a hell of a lot. At least they'll know they have our support...” 

 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

  
  


You’ve met people who were hopelessly lost- until death do they part,  their souls in an eternal fog- never lifted, never cleared. You've met people sifting through their own fog- realizing it, accepting it, clearing it and eventually sculpting their worlds. You don't cross their paths as often as you would like. Despite that, you've encountered very few who could change their worlds and transform your worldview in a heartbeat- let them be an old friend or a complete stranger. Grady was one of those people. No matter how brazen you appeared, she still found ways into a person's heart someway, somehow. You happened to meet Grady at an old job you used to slave at during the summers when your semester ended. She was a co-worker that transferred from some other town. At first, you could only relate minimally, like dealing with an overly domineering and micro-managing boss. However, by the end of the month, you were just fine hanging out every week. One thing you noticed about Grady was that she had resilience in spite of the fact that she had to solve practical, real-world problems at an early age. She didn't live in the most affluent of areas nor did she live around a stable family, but she made a way for herself as well as taking care of her brothers and sisters. Honestly, she was a better mother than her own, having an intuition that could possibly outmatch Madjick's. Despite having these pre-mature responsibilities, she carved her world the way she wanted, and you admired her for that. 

 

Finally reaching the 11th floor, you both stood in front of the family's apartment. You had stopped at a few places on the way here, getting some extra food and supplies for the family. You glanced around each side of you, checking the long corridors for the umpteenth time. To be honest, you had a difficult time taking this place in. The elevator was not functioning, so we had to take 22 flights of stairs. You wondered how long that elevator’s been out, and you couldn't help but think about the people living above this floor. Every part about it seemed to add a new layer of depressing smog onto your conscious. All of the apartment door’s numbers had been scratched off, but we could still guess by the other surrounding rooms. Hopefully, we were at the right unit.  You were silently praying that Grady was right and the family was indeed inside. After Grady knocked, a few moments passed and there was nothing. You began to sweat a little. We weren't in the most affluent of areas. Being out in the open here at later hours… 

 

You dismissed those thoughts from your consciousness and cleared your mind. As true as your feelings were, you didn't want to act out your suspicions too much. 

 

You heard a boy's voice suddenly emanate from behind the scratched entrance. 

 

“Oh, momma, the door! Grady’s at the door. She's here, momma!” 

 

“Okay, darlin’, you wait while I get the door. Ah, yes, I see her- Grady, I didn't expect to see you here,” the woman held the conversation through the door while unlocking a series of deadbolts and locks placed on the entrance. 

 

Grady perked her ears and swayed her tail remotely, a mini smile gracing her face. 

 

“We thought you would like some company. We brought some food for the house.” 

 

“We?...” 

 

The contraption finally opened, revealing a lady bunny peeking at us. Her eyes gleamed warmly at Grady but widened in surprise at you.

 

“Ah, you brought a friend, how lovely! Um, please come inside. I see you've bought food? Oh, you didn't have to do such a thing. I know how you students need to eat. I remember my college days. The quintessential student diet was carrot noodle soup. It was a daily special, haha!” 

 

A young bunny boy with curly white hair and red eyes skipped up to a still grocery-toting Grady and wrapped his arms around her in a secure hug, almost tackling her over. You started putting away the groceries with them.

 

You couldn't help but smirk a little, “It’s not a problem, Mrs. Amberworth, we hope we didn't impede on anything.”

 

“Oh, n-”

 

“Yes, they are impedin’. What’s that human doing here?” 

 

Everyone fixed their eyes on the source of the baritone voice. A stout bunny came out from the kitchen, wearing a blue uniform with a T.S.A badge. He leaned on the kitchen’s door frame and leered at you, a heedful expression flashing across his face before glowering his eyes at everyone.

 

You shifted your glance to Grady and cleared your throat, readying yourself to diffuse this awkward spell of a situation. She seemed just as uncomfortable as you were, scratching at her low hanging ears with her paw. She looked pressed to say something as well. Before any of you could get a single word out, the bunny mother tapped her foot impatiently, obviously frustrated by her brother's remark. 

 

“Now, there's no need for that language, Vermil. These two darlings came all the way from the other side of town to send their best wishes! You ought to  not be so uncouth, especially in front of these ladies” the woman huffed a stray curl out of her face in an accentuating manner. 

 

The uncle folded his arms and shifted his eyes to the side, dodging his sister's outward scolding.

 

“Yeah, well, ain't that human studying with that witch? I remember Sienna tellin’ us about her once. She was all giddy to hear that a human was studyin’ in that program with that uptight monster-traitor. Damn liberal  propaganda’s poisonin’ her mind with that nonsense. Honestly, if you start using that crazy magic of yours in here, we gonna kick ya out, you hear?” 

 

He turned away from us and headed back into the kitchen out of our sights.

 

“That's probably what caused the damn fire.” he further taxed.

 

“Vermil, enough.” the lady wedged her fingers on the bridge of her muzzle, shaking her head.

 

You took a solid breath in, trying not to pay the man a piece of your mind. His anger was severely misdirected and warped, but there wasn't any use arguing in their household. In one day, they had lost their entire living space along with a missing relative. Tensions were already in the stratosphere. Despite it being a nice gesture visiting the projects, it would have been smarter just to give the family some space. You already knew it was foolish to come along, but honestly you only came with Grady to walk with her during these hours of the night. You were concerned about Sienna and her family, but you were also wary of your friend's actions. As odd as it sounded, sometimes she was too generous for her own good.

 

“Please excuse his words. We don't allow that language in our house. We're all just tryin’ to get our whereabouts again. Sienna is here, but she's been gettin’ nasty calls and texts from different numbers about her father. We had to turn it over to the police. We know her friends have been worried sick about her, but the police needed to gather as much detail as they can from those messages.”

 

She sat on a nearby couch, looking outside the room’s only window. Her ears drooped by her head. 

 

“Sienna is upstairs in the spare room. She isn't feeling too well and she's resting but I'm sure she'll appreciate the gifts.” Mrs. Amberworth turned to us and planted a small smile on her face, but her dimmed eyes condemned what she felt the most:

 

Fear and resentment.

  
  


You winced internally and could feel your palms growing damp. You wondered what Sienna said to them. Sienna was an angel, but the girl could get excited about a topic, and sometimes she didn't have any filter. 

 

Sensing it was time to leave, Grady spoke up. “Our hearts go out to you and the family at this difficult time, Mrs. Amberworth. It was, um, a pleasure seeing you and your son again.”

 

“And we hope Sienna soon feels better enough to come to class. We'll send her what she needs for the assignments,” you added modestly. You silently thanked Grady for her timing. 

 

Mrs.Amberworth nodded and thanked you as you made a way toward the door. Grady took one more glance back to see the mother's head turned toward the window once again, the window's frame encased with a lining of frost. She sighed to herself and closed the entrance. 

 

You and Grady looked at each other as you approached the descending flight of stairs and groaned. You felt mentally exhausted from the exchange upstairs, and your legs protested at each step you took downward.

 

“Thank for coming. You didn't have to but thanks,” she said softly. 

 

She got to the point, “I had no clue Rajah felt that way toward humans. Well, he’d never said anything like that. Plenty of other humans have been over the place. He was always very kind to his guests. This was very out-of-character for him.”

 

“Well, I guess it was a surprise for the both of us,” you said, trying not to let your bitterness show. 

 

You felt nothing ill toward Grady; however, your mind couldn't help but wander back to your conversation with Madjick. He knew you personally vowed to only use your magic to protect. He also pushed through the board for you to be the first human to attend this private program. At first, you read the public act as a sure sign of trust between humans and monsters. Well, now you know there is more to that from today. To your knowledge, your magic can't be hidden among monsterkind. If a human were to use their soul's magic, then monsters would be able to sense the human's magic from miles away. From monster to monster, the situation of hidden magic becomes viable. If human magic is always salient and detected, then how does that deem you a threat? There was research done to evidence our magical dynamics, and humans were and somewhat still wary of the implications. Our magical limitations are a widely known fact. How would Madjick see you as a possible monster's pariah? No, nothing is coming together on this one. 

 

You glanced around the area once you were in the streets again. It was after hours. Only the streetlights kept the inky enclosure of the darkness away. You began to walk a little faster, doing homage at the well-lit subway station. Sparing you from your thoughts, Grady had slipped something in your hand. You looked down to see a DVD case with anime characters in various fighting poses. 

 

“Still up for anime night?” Grady asked, grinning mildly.

 

You looked at the time. It was a little past ten o’clock. You wouldn't be risking too much in the morning by watching a few of episodes. 

 

“Anime night it is, and- ah, that reminds me.”

 

You gave her a knowing look, and she realized, slumping back into her seat and expressing a fake retch. You had just enough ride time to give her the book’s entire synopsis for class.

 


End file.
